Projectile-throwing mechanism



C. H. FITZPATRICK.

.PROJECTILE THRowlNG MEcHANlsM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1918- Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

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APPLICATION FILED OCT. I9, F918.

Patented Clit. 26, 1920.

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C. H. FITZPATRICK.

PROJECTILE THROWING NIECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED- OCT. 19| 1918.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I9, 1918.

Pagtented ont. 26,1920.-

4 NN @NIN a? N mm Nm w unirse stars CHERLES H. FITZPATRICK, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROJECTILE-THROWING- MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patente d 001;. 26, 1920.

Application filed October 19, 1918.- Serial No. 258,794.

To all w from 'it 'may concern Be it known that I, CHiRLns H. Firz-Y to which it appertains, in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings, illustrating what I now believe to be the'preferred embodiment or mechanical expression of my invention, from among other forms and arrangements within the spirit thereof and the scope of the appended claims.

However, an object of the invention is to .Y provide a mechanism for throwing projectiles with precision and accuracy without the use of explosives or the like, but employing in lieu thereof gases under pressure which are applied and controlled in a manner peculiar to my invention with consequent advantages and results which will become apparent as the nature of the invention is understood.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for throwing projectiles employing steam or other compressible fluid as an expanding agent in which the agent is permitted to enter a barrel behind a projectile contained therein to impel the same with constantly and uniformly increasing velocity toward the muzzle, causing the projectile to leave the barrel and travel through the air in a true and calculable trajectory and with sufficient velocity to carry it to a considerable distance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a projectile throwing mechanism of the character above set forth, which includes a barrel inclosed within a casing definingV a chamber surrounding the barrel, with automatically operating valves controlling communication between the barrel and chamber,'and means for introducing steam into j the chamber whereby, a projectile may be in contradistinction to circumstances obtaining in a gun employing explosives in which the projectile receives a minimum impelling force at the muzzle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a projectile throwing mechanism of the nature and construction above set forth, and embodying in addition means of a novel naturefor feeding steam or other fluid to the barrel whereby the barrel may be mounted for movement in vertical and horizontal planes to facilitate aiming of the barrel.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a mechanism of the character set forth above, a trap in the breech end of the barrel whereby a projectile may be inserted tional pressure amounting to atmospheric' pressure will be created behind the projectile to add to the force of the expanding steam and consequently impart a greater propelling force to the projectile than 'if the vacuum were not created, and a rupturable valve at the muzzle for insuring the maintenance of the vacuum until the projectile leaves the gun. Y

In addition to the foregoing, this invention comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter set forth and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanyingV drawings in which similar and corresponding parts are designated throughout the several views which they appear:

Figure l is a view in horizontal section taken through a gun constructed in accordance with my invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on a line 2 2 of the preceding figure.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. L is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 6 is a detailed view on an enlarged scale of the breech lend of the mechanism.

With reference to the drawings 1() indiyeo cates the base of the gun consisting of a relatively thick, circular hollow base having flanged openings 11 for connection tothe steam supply conduits 12. Registering openings 13 are formed in the upper and lower walls of the base to receive the vertical structure of the stud 14. The barrel indiv cated at 18 consists of a long tube surrounded by a casing 19 which extends nearly from end to end of the barrel. Formed upon the casing are oppositely extending fluted trunnions 2O which pass through openings 21 in the standards 17. In this manner the barrel may be rotated on the trunnions in a vertical plane or the barrel and standards 17 rotated in the base in a horizontal plane. It will be noted that the casing 19 defines a chamber around the barrel which chamber is in communication with the standards 17 through the medium of the fluted trunnions.

The barrel 18 is formed at uniformly spaced points with a circular series of apertures or ports 22, and the same are normally closed by means of a valve 24 consisting of a band surrounding the barrel one valve being 'provided for each series of ports. Each band or sleeve is formed with a series of openings 25 whereby communication between the chamber and interior o? the bar rel may be established when the openings 22 and 25 are in registration. Mounted on the casing 19 directly above each valve is a cylinder 26 containing a piston 27 to which a piston rod 28 is connected. The latter extending into the casing and having pivotally connected thereto a connecting rod 29 which is also pivotally connected to a pair oi ears which are secured to a valve so that the same may be rotated when the piston is moved vertically. A steam chest 31 is associated with the cylinder and contains a valve 32 which controls the entrance of y steam into the upper and lower ends of the cylinder. The inlet of the steam chest is in communication with the interior of the barrel by means of a conduit 33. Extending longitudinally of the gun and thereabove is a shaft 34 journaled in bearings 35 which are mounted on the cylinders 26. Mounted on the shaft directly above each steam chest is an eccentric 36, the latter being connected to their respective valves 32 by meansV of valve rods and links 37. The forward end of the shaft 34 carries the disk 38 which is eccentrically connected to a piston rod 39 by means of a link 40, said rod carrying a piston 41 which operates within the c linder 42. The lower end of the cylin er is in communication with the interior of the barrel as shown in Fig. 5. Also connected to the barrel just forwardly of the cylinder 42, is a pair of conduits 43 which lead to a condenser of the type used in connection with marine engines. Also mounted upon the muzzle of the barrel is a casing 44 which contains a pair of rollers one on each side of the barrel so that a strip of canvas or the like 45 may be rolled from one roller to an other and in the interim stretched across the muzzle to form a flexible closure for the same. Means not shown may be provided for operating the rollers for a purpose which will'be presently obvious.

Located at the breech end of the barrel is a gate valve 46'Which extends transversely of the barrel and which is designed to form a trap between the said valve and the breech. A rod 47 for operating the valve extends through the housing and packing gland 48 and is connected exteriorly by means of a link 49 to a lever 50 ulcrumed upon a bracket 51 which is secured to the housing 48. A link 52 connects the lever 50 with one arm of a bell crank 53, the other arm thereof being connected by means of a link 54 with a trigger lever 55 ulcrumed upon the barrel. A valve casing 56 is mounted on the barrel and Contains a bypass 57 designed to, establish communication between the interior of the barrel and the trap on the rear side of the valve 46. The bypass 57 is controlled by means of a valve 58 which carries the arm 59 exteriorly of the casing said arm being connected by meansA of a link 60 to the aforesaid trigger lever 55. The extreme rear end of the barrel is formed with a valve seat 61 which opens inwardly into a casing in which a valve 63 travels, the said valve being mounted upon an arm 64 which is secured to a transverse shaft 65 said shaft carrying an arm 66 at one end. Said arm 66 is connected by means of a link to one arm of a bell crank 68, the other arm thereof being connected by means of a link 69, to the aforesaid trigger leverv 55. A connectionV is established between the chamber surrounding the barrel with the trap at a point adjacent the extreme rear .end of the barrel by means of a pipe connection 70 having a valve 71 interposed therein, which valve is normally closed and is operable by means of handle 72.

Before proceeding with the description of the operation, it will be noted from Fig. 6 that the gate valve 46 is normally in a closed position and the oscillating valve 63 is normally in an open position as shown. The projectile indicated at A is a cylindrical body pointed bluntly at its forward end and tapering at its rear end and provided with vanes B to direct the projectile when traveling through the air. The edges of the vanes are preferably faced as at C to provide slight friction between the vanes Y and walls of the barrel, and the body of the projectile is provided with packing rings .D to insure a tight oint between the projectile and barrel. The projectile is inserted in the breech as shown in Fig. 6. The lever 55 is then pulled and three different operations take place simultaneously, namely, the valve 63 is seated to close the breech, secondly, the valve 5S is opened to establish communication between the trap and the bore of the gun so that the difference in pressure therebetween may be equalized through the bypass 57 and finally the valve 46 Vis withdrawn to open direct Vcommunication between the trap and bore to permit the passage therebetween of the projectile. To discharge the gun the handle k7 2 is pulled whereby communication is established between the steam chamber surrounding the barrel Vand that portion of the interior of the breech behind the projectile. The projectile will be moved forward owing to the combined action of the pressure behind the projectile and the vacuum in advance thereof. When the projectile is moved forward suficiently to pass the point of entrance -of the conduit 33 into the bore of the first valve operating means the valve 71 is closed and the pressure behind the projectile passes through the said conduit, the steam chest 31 and into the cylinder 26 above the piston therein causing the latter to move downward with the result that the sleeve valve 24 is rotated to cause the openings 22 and 25 to register, thereby permitting a rapid influx of pressure in the bore from the steam chamber surrounding the barrel to give a greater' and added impetus to the projectile. lVhen the projectile passes the conduit 33 of the next valve operating mechanism the above described. operation is repeated. The projectile thus receives an impetus with each operation of the sleeve valve mechanism with the result that the velocity of the projectile becomes a maximum at thc muzzle of the barrel. it will be apparentJ that as the speed of the projectile increases from the breech to the muzzle, and as the sleeve valves 24 are uniformly spaced the projectile will receive a greater number of impulses at the muzzle than at the breech.

When the projectile leaves the barrel it first punctures the strip 45 which closes the muzzle with an uninjured section of the strip. After the projectile leaves the barrel pressure is communicated to the cylinder 42. causing the piston 4l to move upward with the result that the shaft 34 consequently all of the eccentrics 36. Asa result the valves 32 in the steam chest 31 is rotated and.

are moved downward thereby establishing communication between 'the bore ofV the barrel, and the cylinder 26 through the conduits 33. The piston 27 is moved upward and all the sleeve valves 24 moved to closed position. The trigger lever 55 may now be moved forward with a reverse operation-of the parts operated thereby to bring them to the position shown in Fig. 6, and the mechanism is ready for a second operation.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the structure as shown is designed to provide highly efficient mechanism for the reason that the ports 22 and 25 are of such an area as to permit of the influx of a larger volume of steam behind the projectile with the result that the rate of expansion of the steam is equal to the rate of increase of volume of the bore behind the projectile as the same moves forward.

It is the primary object of my invention to employ a gun of this character on board war vessels in which event thel same is supplied with steam by the ships boilers and by additional boilers if necessary. It will be obvious that owing to the design of the valves used to admit steam into the ports it is possible to maintain the mean effective pressure at its highest possible point. Among the many advantages 1 claim for this gun are that it is not overheated in action, its droopmay be corrected by means of trussing, has great durability, no report or flash accompanies the discharge, is capable of being trained in vertical and horizontal planes, does not have to be lowered when loading, it can be discharged faster than a gun employing explosives, there is but small and slow recoil after the discharge, and the muzzle velocity can be kept constant and uniform. It is my intention to employ a steam pressure of approximately 1260 pounds per square inch or the highest pressure practicable. `Other advantages will readily occur to those skilled in the art to which thisV invention appertains.

Vhile I have illustrated and. described my invention with some degree lof partioularity, I realize that inpractice various alterations therein may bc made. 1 therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement ofthe correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel, a valve intersecting the barrel to form a trap between said valve and the breech, a rupturable valve at the muzzle, means for creating a vacuum in the barrel between said valves, means for closing the iio breech after the insertion of a projectile in the trap, a valve 'controlled bypass between the trap and interior of the barrel in advance of the first mentioned valve, means for admitting pressure to the trapbehind the projectile, and means for withdrawing said first mentioned valve.

2. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel, a closure for the breech, a transversely movable slide in the barrel, means for equalizing pressure in the barrel at opposite sides of the slide, and a common operating means for successively closing the breech, opening the equalizing valve and removing the slide from the barrel.

3. Ina projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel, a breech closure, a slide extending transversely of' the barrel, a valve casing and valve port to equalize pressure in the barrel at opposite sides of the slide when the latter is closed, a manually operable lever, and a series of links and bell crank connections between the breech closure, valve and slide to successively operate upon movement of said lever the breech closure to close the same, to open the valve, and finally to remove the slide.

4c. In a projectile apparatus, a barrel, a pivoted breech block to close the breech, a slide to extend transversely of the barrel for movement therein, a valve casing including valve and port to equalize' pressure in the valve at opposite sides of the slide when the latter is closed, an arm to operate said breech block, a bell crank, a link connecting said arm and bell crank, a second arm for the valve, a thirdarm for the slide, a second bell crank having a linkage connection with the third arm, a manually operable lever, and a linkage connection between both of said bell cranks and the lever at opposite points vof its fulcrum, and a linkage connection between the lever and the second arm.

5. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel having a series of' circumferentially spaced ports, a casing surrounding said barrel, a sleeve valve surrounding said barrel and having a plurality of openings for registration with the openings of the barrel, a cylinder mounted on said casing exteriorly thereof and having a piston therein, a piston rod on saidv piston extending into the casing, and an arcuate link connected at one end to the inner end of the piston and at its opposite end to the sleeve valve. y

6. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a circular hollow base having vertically alined openings, a vertical stud seated in said opening and having a series of vertical flutes in its side communicating with the interior of the base, a pair of hollow standards formed on the upper portion of said stud in communication with the flutes thereof said stud having a pair of horizontally alined openings, a casing disposed between the standards, a pair of trunnions formed on said casing to be seated in the openings of the standard, said trunnions having flutes communicating with the interior of the standards, and a barrel extending through said casing.

7. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel formed with ports, an apertured sleeve constituting a valve member surrounding the barrel at the ports, a cylinder and piston, and a connection between the piston and sleeve whereby the latter is rotated through movement of the piston.

8. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel formed with ports, an apertured sleeve constituting a, valve member surrounding the barrel at the ports a cylinder and piston, a. connection between the sleeve and piston, a steam chest to control admission of pressure to the ends of' the cylinder, a conduit between the steam chest and interior of' the barrel, and means in the steam chest to control admission of pressure to the cylinder.

9. In a projectile throwing apparatus, a barrel having valve controlled ports, a cylinder and piston for operating the valves, a steam chest and valve therein for controlling admission of pressure to opposite ends of the cylinder, a conduit between steam chest and interior of the barrel, a shaftan eccentric thereon for operating the valve in the steam chest, and pressure operable means in communication with the interior of the barrel at the nozzle to rotate the shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of a witness.

CHARLES H. FITZPATRICK.

- lVitness:

WM. ZEAMAN. 

